GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news that you need to know as you start your day.

1. #CHRISTENINGS: Our lead story this morning reveals that the archdiocese of Dublin saw its largest pre-Covid decline of baptism rates in the 21st century just one year after the so-called ‘baptism barrier’ was removed.

In Dublin, the rate of baptisms decreased by roughly 10% between 2018 and 2019, according to new figures from the archdiocese.

These figures show baptisms in Dublin dropped from 13,234 to 11,922 between 2018 and 2019, a fall of just over 1,300. 

2. #COLLISION: A man has died and three others have been hospitalised following a collision in Co Westmeath yesterday. 

The collision, involving a car and an SUV, happened at around 9.20am on the N4 at Ballinafid. A passenger in the car, a man aged in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His body has been taken to the mortuary at Mullingar Hospital. 

3. #BORIS JOHNSON: Another Conservative MP has called on Boris Johnson to resign amid reports the UK Prime Minister was pictured holding a beer in a photograph from his alleged restriction-busting gathering which has been handed to the police.

Former minister Nick Gibb said the time had come for the Prime Minister to go, and suggested he had not been truthful in his explanations of parties reportedly held in No 10 and across Whitehall during Covid measures.

4. #GLASNEVIN: The owners of Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin have decided to discontinue a commemorative wall marking all those who died in the revolutionary period, including members of British forces. 

The wall was damaged twice in recent years, after paint was thrown upon the wall in 2017 in an act described as “callous vandalism” and secondly in February 2020. 

5. #SHIGELLA: The HSE says it is “monitoring very closely” a highly infectious disease mainly affecting members of the LGBTQ community.

Shigellosis, also known as Shigella, is a stomach bug primarily found in gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM).

6. #ARCHAEOLOGY: Around 40 beheaded skeletons are among 425 bodies exhumed by archaeologists in a large Roman cemetery discovered on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway in the UK.

7. #UK: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British monarch to reign for 70 years this weekend, and will mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee year, despite a recent move away from public view.

The date is likely to receive little fanfare, with the 95-year-old monarch likely to spend the anniversary of the death of her father in private.

8. #EUROSONG: Brooke Scullion has been chosen to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin in May with the song ‘That’s Rich’.

The Derry singer was selected by a combination of a national jury, an international jury and a public vote on the Late Late Show Eurosong 2022 Special last night.

It’s the first time since 2015 that the public have been involved in selecting Ireland’s Eurovision entry.

9. #SIX NATIONS: The Six Nations kicks off this afternoon with Andy Farrell’s Ireland hosting Wales in Dublin. It’s the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19 that Ireland will play a Six Nations game in front of a full house at the Aviva Stadium.

Whet your appetite for the tournament ahead with Murray Kinsella’s preview of today’s match and John Hayes looking back on his remarkable career.